Cazenovia girls basketball advances to first state final four

According to Cazenovia girls basketball head coach Steve Miles, a simple, yet lofty goal has driven the players through this magical season.

"They wanted to be the best team in Cazenovia history," said head coach Steve Miles.

And now it's official - the Lakers are on that pedestal. Thanks to Saturday's pulsating 62-58 overtime victory over Section IV champion Oneonta in the Class B regional finals at Liverpool High School, Cazenovia is on its way to its first-ever state final four.

"It's amazing," said senior forward Ashley Stec. "We just want to keep going and do what we've never done before."

Stec had much to do with this breakthrough. Silent on the offensive side for much of the Lakers' run to the Section III Class B title, the Manhattan College-bound senior poured in 23 points, most of them in a first-quarter barrage that appeared to send Cazenovia on its way.

By herself, Stec, with 13 points in that opening period, (including a trio of 3-pointers), outscored the Yellowjackets, who managed just nine as a team. "Our team was ready, and we were intense," she said.

Yet Oneonta, who beat Cazenovia in this same regional round two years ago, would climb back within four, 32-28, by halftime, pushed there by freshman Mariah Ruff, who had 11 points in the second period. Through a back-and-forth third quarter, the Lakers doubled the margin to eight, only to see the Yellowjackets get back to 42-38 by the time the final period started.

Both defenses took over in the late stages, especially that of Oneonta's, as Cazenovia could not get the ball inside to Stec, Ellen Burr (who finished with 18 points) or Raeanne Clabeaux, settling for jump shots that went off the mark. The Lakers did not get a single field goal in those last eight minutes.